Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toys, particularly construction toy sets for toddlers or young children.
Discussion of the Known Art
Construction toy sets for toddlers and young children usually include pieces or blocks that can fit with one another to create a static model or object, e.g., a house, a building, and the like. Typically, the finished object is not one with which the child can actively play or interact, however, other than by disassembling it and arranging the pieces or blocks to create a different object. Toy sets that allow for greater interaction between a child and an assembled object are aimed mostly at older players. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,408,962 (Apr. 2, 2013), U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,040 (Dec. 23, 1986), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,724 (Aug. 19, 1980).
U.S. Pat. No. 8,087,970 (Jun. 5, 2006) discloses a toy construction system comprised of a multitude of interconnecting members including a rotatable connector/spinner device. The spinner device is made so that when other members of the system are joined to the device, the members can turn or rotate about an axis of the device.
Notwithstanding the known art, there is a need for a construction toy set for toddlers and young children that provides sensory stimulation in terms of touch, feel, and sound, both when the child is assembling pieces of a desired object, and when he or she plays with the object once assembled. There is also a need for a construction toy set for toddlers and young children that stimulates creativity by encouraging the child to build an object using particular shapes and features of different pieces that are provided with the set.